Top 10 Amazing Flightless Birds in The World
10 Tasmanian Native-Hen
It is a rail that looks flightless like a chicken. This unusual species is endemic to Australia’s state of Tasmania. They often live in forest, grassland, and marshes. Some of these ideal habitats are on the Bass Strait Islands. Yet, because they are flightless, Tasmanian native-hen colonies can not be found there. They are permitted to run at a maximum speed of 30 miles per hour.
9 Cassowary
Cassowaries, the Casuarius genus, are ratites that originate in New Guinea’s tropical forests, East Nusa Tenggara, Maluku Islands, and northeastern Australia. There are three species which exist. This is the world’s second-biggest living species. They lie in height from 55-79 inches and weigh up to 58 kg. Cassowaries are renowned for the blue plumage and red neck they hit. They also have a lovely horn on their head, like the crest. This flightless, big bird with sharp claws has long, incredibly strong legs. Thus with a single kick they can defend any predator.
8 Inaccessible Island Rail
The Rail of the Inaccessible Island is a small rail family bird, Rallidae. It is the smallest remaining flightless bird in the world, endemic to Inaccessible Island in the Tristan Archipelago in the isolated South Atlantic. This finds only in the archipelago of Tristan, the most isolated populated archipelago in the world, on the inaccessible volcanic Island. They live in grazing groves and steep slopes. In fact, inaccessible rails are found on nearly every part of the Island. There are no introduced predators on the island where the Inaccessible Island Rails live due to total isolation. While these flightless birds can wander anywhere within the island without fear.
7 Takahe
The takahē, also known as the South Island takahē or notornis, is an indigenous New Zealand flightless bird, and the largest living rail family member. Only four specimens were collected during the 19th century, first encountered by Europeans in 1847. They are native to the New Zealand alpine grasslands. This unique bird has beautiful green-blue plumage and big red bill. The wings are too small compared with their heavy body so they can’t fly. Takahes have a good resemblance to local pukeko. Yet the takahes are, unlike pukekos, flightless. Takahe ‘s wings are colourful, though small.
6 Guam Rail
The Guam Rail is a flightless bird species, native to Guam ‘s territory in the United States. The Guam rail disappeared in the early 1970s from southern Guam, and was removed from the entire island by the late 1980s. They’ve not got the flight muscles well developed. Luckily there are no natural predators on Guam Island to disturb this flightless bird. In the 1970s, with the arrival of brown tree snakes, the population of Guam rails dropped off the Island. Yet since 1995 the conservation scientists have re-introduced several newly bred Guam rails.
5 Flightless Cormorant
The flightless cormorant, also known as the cormorant of Galapagos, is an endemic cormorant to the Galapagos Islands, and an example of the highly unusual fauna there. This is unusual in that it is the only known cormorant that has lost the ability to fly. They live in the Galapagos Islands and are not everywhere else in the world. We only live in Galapagos’ Fernandina and Isabela Islands. Luckily, on these islands, flightless cormorants have no predators. Flightless cormorants measure about 34 inches and 39 inches long and weigh up to 4 kg. Their wings reach one third of the total length of their body which would be enough for them to fly.
4 Kiwi
She is the smallest bird in the world of all living ratites. Kiwis measure just 20 inches in height, and weight up to 2 pounds. Kiwi Is New Zealand ‘s National Emblem. New Zealand has five species of kiwis – Brown Kiwi, Little spotted kiwi, Great spotted kiwi, Rowi, and Tokoeka. Unfortunately, all five kiwi species are endangered. Around 8 million years ago the first population of kiwis evolved. This Kiwi is one of the World’s oldest birds. Kiwis are absolutely special in the bird world.
3 Ostrich
African ostrich, or just ostrich, is a species of large flightless bird that is native to some large areas of Africa. It is one of two existing ostrich species, the only living members of the Struthio genus in the birds’ ratite order. They weigh between 100 and 160 kg and stand up to 2 meters in height. Like flying birds, the ostrich breastbone lacks the keel that provides a wing muscle attachment. And their wings are not getting enough energy to make the trip. Ostriches are found mainly in the African savannas and desert lands. Ostriches can reach a maximum speed of 41 miles per hour with long strong legs.
2 Kakapo
The kakapo, also called the owl parrot, is a species of the superfamily Strigopoidea, endemic to New Zealand, large, flightless, nocturnal, ground-dwelling parrot. It has finely blotched yellow-green plumage, a distinct facial disk, a large grey beak, short legs, large feet and fairly short wings and tail. They ‘re the world’s only flightless, nocturnal parrot. Even kakapos are the world’s heaviest parrot that weights up to 4 kg. This huge parrot has very brief wings. And their feathers are smoother than other flying birds. So kakapos aren’t getting enough power to make the trip.
1 Penguins
Penguins are a group of flightless, aquatic birds. We exist almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere, with only one species to be found north of the equator, the Galápagos penguin. Well suited for sea life, the penguins have the dark and white plumage and swimming flippers counter-shaded. There are 17 species of pinguins in the world and none can fly. By comparison to flying birds, the penguin wings are short and stout. Penguins use their small wings instead of jumping, to flap through mud. In the Southern Hemisphere, penguins live solely.
